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joegelay 's review for:
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
by Leif Babin, Jocko Willink
2.5 stars rounded down. Jocko and Leif are impressive individuals for sure, and the leadership principles they lay out in this book are sound. However, objectively I just didn't find this to be that great of a book. I often have a tough time getting through books with formulaic chapters, which is certainly the case here. 1. Present war story 2. Break down leadership principles from story 3. Tie it to business 4. "Now get out there and kick ass" type closing. 5. Repeat.
I also didn't like how Jocko and Leif preface the book by saying...
... and from there go on to fill twelve chapters with battle scene descriptions just like that. By no means do I feel they are embellishing their war experiences in Iraq (I imagine it's close to impossible to speak in hyperbole when describing the intense times have been through) it just felt a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
I also didn't like how Jocko and Leif preface the book by saying...
“So, there I was.…”
Plenty of glorified war stories start like that. In the SEAL Teams, we make fun of those who tell embellished tales about themselves. A typical war story told in jest about something a SEAL did usually begins like this: “So, no shit, there I was, knee-deep in grenade pins.…” This book isn’t meant to be an individual’s glorified war story.
... and from there go on to fill twelve chapters with battle scene descriptions just like that. By no means do I feel they are embellishing their war experiences in Iraq (I imagine it's close to impossible to speak in hyperbole when describing the intense times have been through) it just felt a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.